Manufacture of artificial horsehair and other cellulose products having resistance and elasticity.



- UNITED STATEs PATENT." OFFICE.

EMILE CRUMIERE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

MANUFAGTURE 6F ARTIFICIAL HORSEHAIR AND OTHER CELLULOSE PRODUCTS HAVING RESISTANCE AND ELASTICITY.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Application filed April 9, 1908. Serial No. 426,168.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILEORUMIERE, a citizen of the Re ublic of France, residing in Paris, France, ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Horsehair and other Cellulose ProductsHaving Resistance and Elasticity, of which the following is a specifica- When t e copper has been eliminated, the

threads are wound upon a cylinder which is rotated for some timein a bath of concentrated solution of soda, by means of an arrangement such as has been described in German Specification No. 111409 of the Vereinigte Glanztoff-Fabriken. The thread is then washed with acidified water until the soda has been completely eliminated, again washed, and finally dried under tension to obtain the artificial horse-hair. It is easy to see how protracted these operations are, and what com lexity they resent in res ect of number, p ant, materia used, manna labor,

and cost. 1

The present'invention relates to a simlified manufacture of artificial horse-hair Including the regeneration of the materials used. Q o

The cellulose thread obtained by the usual i methods may be deprived of its copper rap idly, completely, and continuously in an automatic and economical manner by using the process described in the French patent apphed for on 16th March 1907 under No. 40305, and delivered in France on the 24th May 1907 under the number 375827.- For this purpose an electric current is passedthrough a vat containing a weak solution of anacid, such assulfuric acid, of 5 per cent."

strength" for example, in which is immersed the cellulose material to be deprived of copper; the copper is recovered and the solution of sulfuric acid can be used again practically indefinitely.

The process Which forms the subject matter of the present invention im arts to the thread or other object thus 0 tained the qualities which in a thread are those ofgood artificial horse-hair, or in another object are properties of strength and elasticity. I have found it advantageous to im 'erse for a few moments according to the size, the thread or cellulose object obtained in-the manner just described, in a bath of zinc chlorid of say 1.70 specific gravity and hot. The threads and'objects thus treated are washed with water slightly acidified with acetic acid or sulfuric acid and then with ordinary water before they are dried. The zinc may easily be recovered from the washing waters according to the usual methods, and the bath of zinc chlorid may be regenerated by concentration by heat for example. I have sought to simplify still more these operations by obtaining a thread of artificial horse-hair and other cellulose products by direct spinning of a solution of cellulose in ammoniacal copper solution in chlorid of zinc.. I have found that the spinning can easily be done, but the thread deprived of its copper, even after washing,

does not present any strength once it is dried. However, pursuing these experiments, I have found that by adding to the bath of chlorid of zinc, caustic soda or potash so as to obtain sodium or potassium zincate in solution, not only can a solution of cellulose in ammoniacal copper solution be directly spun, but the artificial horse-hair thus obtained when it has been deprived of its copper, washed and dried, has a high strength and elasticity. This method furnishes, starting from .zinc chlorid, a direct spinning and a direct manufacture of artificial horse-hair, the production of which on an industrial scale is thus extremely simpli fied, especially from the point 'of view of the plant and manual labor.

At the end of a certain time the spinning. bath becomes exhausted and strongly colored blue, as a result of the spinning of the solution of cellulose in ammoniac'al copper solution ,Which leaves copper dissolved in the bath of sodium ,or potassium zincate. 'Ihis color is unfavorable, to good spinning, be-

cause the threads cannot be properlyseen easy to remedy this inconvenience, which indeed is common to all the processes, and at the sametime to regenerate advantageously the spinning bath by merely boiling it with strips of zinc. Under these conditions, the copper is precipitated, the bath is completely decolorized, and the zinc enters into solution in the form of zineate of sodium or potassium ready to be used again.

In the cold, zinc will dissolve Whether in the course of the spinning or afterwards, and will produce sodium zincate besides decolorizing the bath, but the action in this case is less rapid.

Having thus described the nature of my found that it is verysaid invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical efl'ect, I claim A process for manufacturing rapidly and economically strong and elastic horse-hair or other cellulose products, which process c011- sists in spinning a solution of cellulose in ammoniaoal copper solution in a bath consisting of a solution of sodium or potassium zlncate.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing W'itnesses. v

-EMILE CRUMIERE. Witnesses:

J ULES ARMENGAUD, J eune, DEAN B. MAsoN. 

